Is this gigantic largemouth taken a few days back the new all-tackle world record?? Well, details are a bit sketchy at the moment but George W. Perry and his 22-pound, 4-ounce record for the species, which has stood since 1932, may just be in jeopardy…or not??
Caught in Japan’s Lake Biwa by Dep Tackle pro staffer Manabu Kurita in early July, this bass allegedly weighed (on a certified scale) 22 pounds, 5 ounces. Again, many of the particulars are taking their time crossing the Pacific — including what the fish was caught on, though at this point, it’s looking like live bait.
Obscene!!!
Now, it’s up to the International Game Fish Association to sort out all the details. If all the proper paperwork is submitted and the fish truly weighed 22 pounds, 5 ounces, it may still not be considered the new standard for largemouth. You see, the IGFA has a rule that states a record must be broken by two ounces. Since Kurita’s bass may have only eclipsed Perry’s by an ounce, it may be declared a tie….which seems pretty lame to me. How can you call it a tie if it weighed more??
Well, it will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. In the meantime, watch the video and let us know what you think…
John says
“The dude may get the record for the biggest largemouth, but he also deserves some sort of prize for that dyed-mullet hairdo thing he’s sporting.
Epic””
HAHAHAHA Best comment on this board!
Oh and Congrats on breaking the record!
JD says
I had to look a little more closely…I hadn’t noticed the mullet before. ???
Darin says
Don`t know what to think. Obviously there`s something out of place. Did he raise the fish?? Was it caught in a private pond?? Other than that whats the problem? My point you ask??…Here in the states, so-called “hunters” raise deer like cattle. They feed them the high priced food with the exact nutrients that make the antlers grow. They watch them year round and even name them and their kills are put in the record books. This isn`t hunting, it isn`t a sport, and it shouldn`t be qualified as any record yet it happens every year. Give the guy cudos. He beat the record.
Joey says
ive caught bigger
JD says
Joey, no, I’m afraid that you’d be a very wealthy and famous angler if you’d caught a bigger one. Nice try…
Mark says
That is an amazing lunker. In the shot where it’s laying by the measuring tape, it looks like it’s about to explode from its own weight. Unbelievable!
Steve vonBrandt says
IGFA Announces World Record Bass Status on Friday. 1/8/10 at 1:30 Pm eastern
http://www.delawaretrophybass.com/apps/forums/topics/show/1876906-breaking-news-kurita-bass-igfa-announcement-1-6-10
steve vonbrandt says
There still has not been any ruling on the pending record bass caught by Mr. Kurita at Lake Biwa.
It has been half a year; usually records are either approved or disapproved within a couple of months at best.
A new Japanese Yellowtail record (over 100 pounds!) was caught on Oct. 24, 2009, and it has already been approved…
But yellowtail record submissions do not have all the politics that largemouth black bass record submissions do here in Japan.
One of my sources in the know tells me that there is no way the JGFA will allow the grand fish to become a new Japan record–
Caught up in politics…-dsc04276.jpg
especially since it comes from "catch and kill" (catch and release of bass is illegal) Biwa Lake.
Interestingly enough, the IGFA is an autonomous body, and is supposed to make decisions regardless of what other (ie. JGFA) organizations allow/disallow.
Yet the IGFA has not rendered a final decision on this fish.
Steve Mras, multiple IGFA WR holder, emailed me the following:
No decision yet on possible record bass caught in Japan
The IGFA is still waiting additional information before making a decision for world record recognition on a 22 lb 4 oz largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), caught by Manabu Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, from that country’s largest lake July 2. IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said the World All-Tackle application is still under review after it was received in mid-September through the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA). “We’ve been corresponding with the angler via our sister organization, the JGFA,” said Schratwieser. Besides being a non-profit fisheries, education and conservation organization, the 70- year old IGFA has long been the world’s recognized record-keeping body for over 1100 salt and fresh water recreational fish species. Schratwieser said the bass weighing 10.12 kg (22 lb 4 oz) was pulled from Lake Biwa an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Photos and video were also submitted with Kurita’s written documentation. If approved Kurita’s fish would tie the current record held for over 77 years by George Perry caught on Georgia’s Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia. In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the “holy grail” of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry’s record.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\
Mr. Kurita has made a complete submission, with more info provided than many submissions that became records with no problem.
It makes one wonder what "additional information" the IGFA could be possibly be waiting for?
I have met Mr. Kurita several times in my tackle store in Aichi, Japan. He is an avid bass angler, with a passion for hunting big fish; it seems very unfortunate that such a fine catch that should bring so much controversy.
Nobody I talked to here can remember a JGFA record submission that has taken this long. I am not going to hold my breath on a ruling anytime soon.
http://delawaretrophybass.com
biggerbass says
awesome…. asians are always humble about any bad talks to them. they'll just do better just because of the bickering/criticism. hope he gets the igfa to recognize his great fish.
steve vonbrandt says
Manabu Kurita told me the truth today about how, when and where he caught the pending world record bass. Every detail. How do I know it's the truth? I know because Mr. Kurita doesn't care if his fish is certified as a world record or not.
Manabu Kurita fishes in the area where he caught the 22-5 largemouth.
Shy and unassuming, the 33-year-old Kasugai native became hooked on bass fishing 18 years ago.
"I saw a photo of a largemouth bass in a magazine and I was very impressed with how it looked. So, I tried fishing for bass and I became passionate about catching them," Kurita explained.
Kurita's passion takes him to the lake more than 150 times a year. According to his estimations — and those close to him consider the estimates conservative — Kurita annually catches more than 100 bass greater than 8 pounds.
On July 2, 2009, he landed his biggest fish ever (although not the biggest he has hooked). The 22-pound, 5-ounce behemoth ate a live sunfish he had rigged on a 5/0 Fina Power Finesse bait hook.
"I had noticed this big fish swimming around the bridge piling, and I was pretty sure she would eat a bluegill. So, about 11:30 a.m., I went to the bridge piling and cast the bait to the north side. I twitched it a couple of times and the big bass ate it. It was my first cast," Kurita explained.
Kurita showed me the exact spot on the bridge, made the exact cast and explained how surprised he was once he landed the fish.
"I knew it was big, but I did not think it was that big," he admitted.
Using the same techniques as when he caught the potential world record, Kurita landed this 8 1/2-pounder while showing the area to Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall.
The IGFA has not yet certified Kurita's catch as a world record because of a rule that states a record fish cannot come from a sanctuary or no-fishing zone. The remaining question has been about whether the three marked bridge pilings where he was rumored to have caught the fish are no-fishing zones, and, if they are, was Kurita actually fishing near these three pilings? (The other bridge pilings are not marked, so fishing, anchoring and tying to them is totally legal.)
When I asked Kurita to take me to the exact spot where he caught the bass. He did not hesitate. We drove directly to one of the three marked pilings, confirming the rumors that he caught the fish in an area that was marked: "Do not stop." He could just as easily have taken me to another bridge support, one that would have completely negated the naysayers.
His honesty was refreshing. His motives seemed pure.
However, this supported those who questioned the legality of his catch. Does the "Do not stop" sign suggest, and thereby give authorities, the ability to ticket anglers fishing the marked pilings?
This determination is left to the local police and, ultimately, the Japanese Game Fish Association and the International Game Fish Association.
After my meeting with Kurita, I met with Yoichiro Oguri, president and owner of Popeye, a very popular tackle store chain (Japan's version of Bass Pro Shops). Mr. Oguri is a very well-connected and respected icon in the Japanese fishing industry. During our conversation, I asked if he had a contact within the JGFA, and, if so, could he find out the status of the Kurita world record application.
Mr. Oguri contacted JGFA and found out the delay was because of the fact that they were unsure of the local laws surrounding Biwa's no-fishing zones. Mr. Oguri then contacted the Shiga-Ken Police Department (enforcers of Lake Biwa laws). He asked them if fishing was allowed near the three marked bridge pilings. The answer was "yes." It is illegal to anchor or tie to the bridge pilings, but fishing next to or around them is completely legal.
Kurita broke no laws in the catching of the 22-5.
Mr. Oguri then contacted the chairman of the JGFA and informed him of his findings.
Moments later, the JGFA gave Kurita's catch the thumbs up and sent a letter of support to the IGFA. As of this writing, the IGFA has not yet commented on the status of the record. However, it seems all concerns about the legality of this catch have been answered. It is likely Mr. Kurita's bass will be recognized as the biggest largemouth ever caught.
And if for some reason the IGFA still does not recognize Kurita's accomplishment?
"That's OK," Kurita replied with a shy grin. "I think I might be able to catch a bigger one next year."
mckenzie says
huge fish the bass i caught today was about half the sife of that
Delawarebass says
UPDATE FROM JAPAN!! 7/30/09
I wrote to the Japanese agency responsible for certifying the catch and here is their response.
The angler submitted a world record application to Japan Game Fish
Association. We are in the process of checking it; as soon as it is
confirmed of its validity, the application will be forwarded to the IGFA for a
world record. Because it was a very important catch, we need to take
enough time to make sure everything is correct and IGFA-legal.
Best regards,
Tsutomu Wakabayashi
Secretary-General, Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA)
Asahi Bldg. 2F, 1-11-2 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
150-0013 JAPAN
Phone:81-3-5423-6022
Fax. :81-3-5423-6023
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.jgfa.or.jp/
Ryan Sabalow says
The dude may get the record for the biggest largemouth, but he also deserves some sort of prize for that dyed-mullet hairdo thing he's sporting.
Epic.